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Pussy Riot members rearrested immediately after being released

Four Pussy Riot members have been charged with “the organisation and holding of public events without prior written notice”.

Nika Nikulshina, Olga Pakhtusova, Olga Kurachyova and Veronika Nikulshina were rearrested immediately after leaving prison on the day of their release. The four members had come to the end of their 15-day sentences, following on from their pitch invasion during the World Cup Final. According to a post on Pussy Riot’s Twitter page, they could be facing up to another 10 days in jail.

all 4 members of pussy riot who participated in the world cup action and spent 15 days in jail are arrested AGAIN right after their release pic.twitter.com/H13SkBcKCl

our 4 activists (nika nikulshina, olya pahtusova, olya kuracheva, petya verzilov) are arrested again and brought to the police station; they’re charged with article “20.2.2” – “the organization and holding of public events without prior written notice’ – up to 10 days of arrest.

In a video shared by The Guardian, members appear to look bemused as they’re approached by police officers. The four members are put into a van and driven away. Watch the video below.

Pussy Riot came to international attention in 2012, when five members of the group staged a performance inside Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. Since, the collective have organised and participated in numerous high profile protests, including the World Cup Final stunt earlier this month in Moscow, where members of the group ran onto the pitch during the match between France and Croatia.

Pussy Riot claimed responsibility for the pitch invasion shortly afterwards and shared a list of political demands for the Russian government via social media, including ending illegal arrests at protests, freeing political prisoners and allowing for political competition in the country.

Following the arrests, Pussy Riot have released a string of new material in protest, including the hardcore style gabber tracks КОШМАРЫ / NIGHTMARES and PONG!, along with the video Track About Good Cop. Their most recent release is the track Unicorn Freedom.